Internal-combustion engine.



W, G. CARTER.

INTERNAL coMBUsTIoN ENGINE.

l APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 17, 1911.

Patented Dec. 16, 1913.

INTTE@ STATES PATE T IBTTQE.

'WILLIAM C. CARTER, OF ST. LOUIS. MISSOURI, ASSIGPNOR 'lO GARTEROARBURETOR COMPANY, 0F ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI;

INTERNAL-COMBUS-TION ENGINE.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. i6, 1913.

Application filed August 17, 1911. Serial No. 644,532. y

To aU t0/omit may concern:

Be itknown that I, WILLIAM C. CARTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at- St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovementin Internal- Combustion Engines, of which the follow- -ing isa full, clear, and exact description,

such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to.make and use the same.

This invention relates to internal combustion engines.

The main object of my invention is to provide an internal combustionengine which has not the objectionable features of internal combustionengines of the type in which puppet valves are used for controlling theadmission and exhaust of the gases.

Another object is to provide a noiseless, smooth running engine whichhas greater power than the internal combustion engines now in generaluse.

Another object is to provide an engine which is so designed that carboncannot become deposited on the valves land valve seats, therebyovercoming the necessity of continually regrinding the valves as isnecessary with the engines now in general use. And still another objectis to provide an inexpensive engine of simple construction which is sodesigned that the cylinders can be cleaned easily and Without takingdown the engine. l

Other objects and desirable features of my invention will be hereinafterpointed out.

exhaust of the gases through said ports. I

prefer to use a single valve4 for controlling both of said ports andform said valve from a split expansion ring of practically the samedesign as the split expansion rings which are now generally used on thepistons ot internal combustion engines but I do not wish it to beunderstood that my invention is limited to an engine provided with sucha means for controlling the admission and exhaust of the ases. Insteadof casting the end ofthe cylinder integral with the side walls I preferto u se a piston to form the end of the cylinder and mount the slidevalve on said piston. Any suitable means may be employed for actuatingthe piston head of the cylinder so as to cover and uncover the .portswhich the slide valve on the pistonhead controls but I prefer to usecams tor this purpose which are so designed and arranged that they rollupon instead of e strike against the member or members which they move.

Figure lof the drawings is a vertical transverse sectional view of aninternal combustion engine constructed in accordance with my invention;Fig. 2 is a verticaal sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. l;Fig. 3 is a detail vertical sectional view, showing the slide valvearranged in such a position that the burnt gases can escape through theexhaust port; and F ig. 4 is a similar view showing said valve arrangedin .j

such la positionv that the combustible gases can pass through theadmission port int-o the cylinder.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred form of myinvention, A designates one cylinder .of the engine which is preferablyprovided with a Waterfjacket l. The piston 2 may beY of any preferredtype and may be connected to the crank shaft of the engine in anysuitable manner. The closed end of the cylinder A is preferably formedby a piston 3 rovided with piston rings 4 or other' suitab e means forinsuring a tight joint between the exterior of same and the innersurface of the side walls of the cylinder, and the sides of the cylinderhave an admission port 5 and an exhaust port 6 formed therein. The ports5 and 6 preferably consist. of horizontally disposed segmental-shapedslots arranged in dilferent horizontal planes, as shown inbreken linesin Fig. l, the admissionport 5 being located a trifle higher up than theexhaust port 6 of the engine herein shown.

A reciprocating slide valve- B which preferablyconsists of a splitexpansion rin is carried by a spider formed from a plura ity of wings 7on the lower end of the piston head 3 and a ring-shaped member 7a whichsurrounds said wings and is connected to same. Said valve B is wideenough to cover both of the ports 5 and 6 when it is in a certainposition, and the ports 5.and 6 are so arranged with relation to eachother that the port 5 will be closed and the port 6 open g example, asan annular rib 8 on the inner side of the valve that tits in an annularrecess formed in the outer lface of the ringshaped member 7a of thespider and a pin or other suitable device (not shown) on the spider forpreventing the v'alve from rotating.

The means which l prefer to use for Areciprocating the piston head 3consists of a cam shaft 9 provided with a pair of cams 10 which engagethe top face of the piston head 3 and move it downwardly, and a cam 11arranged between the cams 10 and coperating with a cross-head 12 on thepiston head 3 to move said piston head upwardly. The cross-head 12 ismounted on' vertically disposed pins-or uprights 13 on the piston head3, and if desired coiled compression springs 14 may be arranged betweensaid cross-head and nuts 1510111 the upper ends of the uprights 13 so asto permit saidcross-head to yield and thus prevent breakage 'in case anobstruction gets between the cams and the top face of the piston head3'on which the cams bear. The cams 10 are preferably so designed thatthey roll upon the top lface of the piston head 3, and the cam 11 is sodesigned'that it rolls upon the cross-head 12, thus producingpractically anoiseless operating mechanism for the piston head. The topface of the piston head 3 is provided with a recess 16 so as to form aclearance for the intermediate camy 11 and thus permit the piston headto move upwardly when the of said cam 11 strikes against the lug 12a onthe under side of the crosshead 12. IThe cams 10 and 11 are so arrangedand timed that the valve B will cover the admission port 5 and theexhaust port 6 when the piston 2 is moving upwardly on its compressionstroke and downwardly on its power stroke, the piston head 3 being heldat rest during this 'period of the cycle of operations of the engine bymeans of the cams 10 which bear upon the top face of the piston head 3and the cam 11 which bears against the under sideA of the cross-head.Any suitable means such, for example, as a spark plug S may be usedr forigniting the Charge. l/Vhen the piston 2 starts to move upwardly so asto expel the burnt gases from the cylinder the high point of the cam 11engages the lug 12Cl onthc under side of the cross-head 12 and thusmoves the piston head 3 upwardly, as shown in Fig. 3, the recess 16 inthe top face of said piston head providing suflicient clearance for Ithecam 11 to permit the piston head 3 vto move upwardly far enough to causethe exhaust port 6 to be uncovered without uncovering the admission port5, andA thus permitting the burnt gases to escape through the exhaustport 6 into the exhaust manifold 18. After the cylinder has beenscavenged in this manner the piston head 3 is moved downwardly by thecams 10 far enough to uncover the admission port 5 without uncoveringthe exhaust port 6, as shown in Fig. 4. The combustible Vgases are drawninto the cylinder A over the upper edge of the valve B on the downwardstroke of the piston 2, as shown in Fig. 4, and after the charge hasbeen drawn into the cylinder in this manner the piston head 3 isreturned to the position shown in Fig. A1 by means of the cam 11 whosesurface a: acts upon the lug 12a on the under side of the cross-head 12on the piston head, said` piston head being held at rest in the positionshown in Fig. 1 during the succeeding compression stroke and powerstroke of the piston 2.

An engine of the construction above described operates noiselessly andsmoothly owing to the fact that theA valve B which controls theadmission and exhaust of the gases reciprocates back and forth in thecylinder without-striking against a valve seat or other metallic part,and the cams 10 and 11, which impart movement to said valve, roll uponthe top face of the piston head and the cross-head 12 connectedthereto,the engine being so designed that the cams 1() always remain inengagement with the piston head 3 and the cam 11 always remains inengagement with the lug 122l on the under side of the cross-head 12 thatis connected to the piston head. There is no chance for carbon to becomedeposited on the inner wall of the cylinder adjacent the admission andexhaust ports owing to the fact that the valve B covers both of saidports and thus snugly engages the portion of the sides of the cylinderadjacent thereto when the charge is a construction is that the valve Bis always properly lubricated because said valve occupjes such aposition when the charge is ignited that the explosion cannot burn oli"the oil on the side walls of the cylinder' against which the valve Bbears. There is little chance for the gases to escape from the cylinderof such an engine because the valve which controls the admission andexhaust of the gases consists of a split expansion ring which alwaysremains pressed tightly against the inner wall of the cylinder.

By forming the admission and exhaust ports in the manner illustrated inthe'draw- Aings I am able to make said ports large fired. Anotheradvantage ofsuch enough to produce an engine which has great power. Inan engine of the puppet valve type it is not practicable to provide theengine with very large ports because large puppet valves warp easily andthus do not seat tightly after the engine has been in use for a shortperiod. Consequently, the quantity of combustible gas that can beadmitted to the cylinder of a puppet valve engine is limited by reasonof the fact that it is not practicable to make the admission and exhaustports over a certain size. My engine has not this objectionable featureand is not limited to ports of a certain size because the valve whichcontrols the flow of the gases through said ports will not warp out ofshape and it is so designed that it can expand and contract.Furthermore, the valve of my engine always remains in engagement with awatercooled member, namely, the sides of the cylinder, so that the valvedoes not become so highly heated as the valves of engines .of the typeheretofore in general use. And still another desirable feature of saidengine which makes it practicable from a commercial standpoint is thatthe valve B does not have to be fitted accurately to the cylinder so asto provide for expansion andcontraction, this being due to the factAthat the valve consists of an expansion ring which can expand andcontract and thus always remain in intimate engagement with the-sides ofthe cylinder.

While I prefer to form the valve B from a .split expansion ring I could,of course, use a sectional ring and employ springs for pressing thesections of the ring tightly against the inside of the cylinder.Furthermore, while I have herein illustrated the preferred form of m'yinvention as consisting of an engine in which the slide valve isca-rried by a piston which forms the end of the cylinder, I do not wishit to be understood that my broad idea is limited to such a constructionfor, if desired, the end of the cylinder could be immovable and thevalve could be mounted on a member provided with stems or other`suitable devices that project through the end of the cylinder so as tobe engaged by the valve-operating mechanism.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Let` ters Patent is:

1. vAn internal. combustion engine whose cylinder is provided withadmission and exhaust ports through which the gases enter and escape, areciprocating expansion valve, separate and distinct from the piston ofthe engine and arranged inside of the cylinder, for controlling the flowof the gases through said ports, and a carrying member for said= valvethat forms the top of the compression space of the cylinder.

2. An internal combustion englne provided with admission and exhaustports formed in the sides of ,its cylinder, a piston for drawing theVgases into the cylinder and compressing the gases, a reciprocatingexpansion valvearranged inside of said cylinder in sliding engagementwith the sides thereof for controlling the flow of the gases throughsaid ports, and a carrying member for said valve that forms the top ofthe compression space of the cylinder.

3. An internal combustion engine provided with a cylinder that hasadmission and exhaust ports formedy in the sides thereof, means forigniting the gases that are drawn into the cylinder and compressed, aring-shaped expansion valve separate and distinct from the piston of theengine, and arranged inside of the cylinder in sliding engager-.lentwith the inner surface of the side walls of the cylinder for controllingthe admission and exhaust of the gases through said ports, and anactuating member for said valve that forms thetop of the compressionspace of the cylinder.

4. An internal combustion engine having admission and exhaust portsformed in t-he sides of its cylinder,a reciprocating valvecarryingmember, separate v and distinct from the piston of the .engine andarranged inside of the cylindel, said member forming the top of thecompressionspace of thecylinder, a ring-shaped expansion Valve on saidmember for controlling the iow of the gases through -'said ports, andmeans for preventing said valve from moving longitudinally of thecylinder Vrelatively to said valvemarrying member.

5. An internal combustion engine having a, port formed vin its sidewalls, a ringshaped expansion valve arranged inside of said cylinder insliding engagement with the inner 'face thereof, a reciprocatingvalve-carrying member for said valve, separate and distinct from thepiston of the en gine, and a projection on one of said parts which fitsin a' recess in the other part so as to'preventthe valve from movinglongitudinally of the valve-carrying member but not interfering With'theradial or outward movement of the valve into snug engagement with thesides of the cylinder,

.6. An internal combustion engine having a cylinder provided with amovable piston thaty is separate and distinct from the piston proper ofthe engine and which forms the top of the compression space of thecylinder, an admission port and f an exhaust ort formed in the sides ofsaid cylinder, a ringshaped expansion valve arranged inside of thelcylinder and carried by said piston head for controlling the flow of thegases through said ports, and means for operating said l piston'head soas to cause said ports to be closed on the compression and power strokesof the piston. v

7 An internal combustion engine having segi'nental-shaped admission andexhaust ports formed in the sides of its cylinder, a piston that formsthe end or head of said cylinder, a ring-shaped expansion valve carriedby said piston for controlling the flow of the gases through both ofsaid ports, and means for actuating said piston so as to move said valveinto and out of operative position With relation to said ports.

8. An internal combustion engine having a cylinder, a piston that formsthe top ofthe compression space of said cylinder, a crosshead connectedto said piston head, a shaft provided with cams that coperate With saidpiston head and cross-head to reciprocate the piston, and a valve onsaid piston head arranged inside of the cylinder for controlling theadmission and exhaust of the gases.

9. An internal combustion engine having a cylinder provided in its sideswith admission and exhaust ports, a reciprocating piston that forms thetop of the compression space of said cylinder, a ring-shaped expansionvalve on said pisto-n that controls the flow of the gases through saidports, means for moving said piston head in one direction and holdingitat rest while the charge is being compressed and tired, and independentmeans for moving the piston head in the opposite direction so as toYpermit the burnt gases to escape from the cylinder.

10. An internal combustion engine having a cylinder which is provided inits sides with an admission port and an exhaust port, a piston thatforms the top of the compression space of the cylinder, a valve on saidpiston head that controls the flow of the gases through said ports intoand out of the cylinder, a cross-head connected to said piston head,operating cams coperating with said cross-head and with the piston headfor reciprocating it, and yielding means for holding the cross-head inengagement with the cam that coperates with same.

l1. An internal combustion engine having a cylinder which is provided inits sides with segmental-shaped admission and exhaust ports arranged indifferent horizontal planes, a piston that forms the head or end of saidcylinder, a ring-shaped expansion valve arranged inside of the cylinderJfor controlling the admission and exhaust of the gases through saidports, means on the piston head which holds said valve far enough belowthe end of the piston head to permit the combustible gases to enter thecylinder, and means for actuating said piston head so as to move saidvalve into and 1,08 nasa out of operative position with relation to saidports.

12. An internal combustion engine having a cylinder which is provided inits sides With segmental-shaped admission and exhaust ports arranged indifferent horizontal planes, a piston that forms the head or end of saidcylinder, a valve arranged inside of the cylinder for controlling theadmission and exhaust of the gases through said ports, means on thepiston head which holds said valve far enough below the end of thepiston head to permit the combustible gases to enter the cylinder, across-head connected to said piston head, and a cam shaft extendingthrough said cross head and provided With cams that engage saidcross-head and piston head and move the piston-head positively inopposite directions.

13. An internal combustion engine provided With a cylinder, areciprocating valvecarrying member, separate and distinct from thepiston of the engine and arranged 1nside of the cylinder so as to formthe top ofthe compressionspace, a valve on said member for controllingthe admission and exhaust of the gases, and means for moving saidvalve-carrying member positively in both directions.

14. An internal combustion engine provided With a cylinder, areciprocating valvecarrying melnber, separate and distinct frbm thepiston of the engine and arranged inside of the cylinder so as to formthe top of the compression space, a valve on said member for controllingthe admission and exhaust of the gases, a cam arranged above saidvalve-carrying member for moving said member in one direction, and aseparate and distinct cam also arranged above said member for movingsaid member in the opposite direction. y

15. An internal combustion engine provided With a cylinder'vvhich hasadmission and exhaust ports formed in the sides thereof adjacent one endof the cylinder, a reciprocating valve-carrying member arranged .insideof the cylinder, an expansion valve oh said member for controlling theadmission and exhaust of the gases through said ports, and a rib cn oneof said parts which tits in a recess in the other parts and thusprevents the valve from moving longitudinally of said valve-carryingmember.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses,

this 12th day of August 191,1.

WVILLIAM C. CARTER.

Witnesses:

WELLS L. CHURCH, GEO. R. LADsoUr.

